Is it wrong to charge your adult children rent if theyr still living at home and not makin much?

not a bad idea - I see nothing wrong with it

the amount does not have to be punitive, it's help with the grocery bill and if they were living elsewhere certainly they'd have rent to pay

I'd say an exception would be a full time student or a hardship case of some sort...

but really it is an individual decision between parent & child with no clear right or wrong ... not even sure I'd charge my own :)

Once you turn 18 all bets are off, kids! You don't have a job? get one, cuz unless your parents say they're gonna support you forever (said no self-respecting parent EVER), you gotta make your own way.

My mother would charge me a small amount weekly rent after I turned 18 and got a PT position at a local toy store, and I was all to happy to help her out with bills. I came from a single parent household, but it really depends on the parent and the kids circumstances.

I personally would not charge my kid, as a parent I think its your job to support your kids from the moment they are born until the day you die. Parenthood is a life commitment, just because the kid turns 18 does not mean that your obligations to them change.

Now that get me wrong, I'm saying this in a normal case scenario. If the "kid" its 38 years old and he is a bum and refuses to get a job and lives in my house for free...well I'm kick his *** to the streets and i wouldn't look back.

Now if he is trying and he is temporally living at my house due to a set back, no, i wouldn't charge him. Same if he is just starting his working life (lets say 16 to 20) he has one of those temp crappy jobs, or a full time job but only makes 7.50 per hour and has college loans to pay, yeah i wouldn't charge him either; kids on that situation definitely need all the help they can get.

no, if they have no expenses, they need to know what it is to be an adult and pay part of their own way instead of being complete freeloaders,,,,,if they are contributing in other ways around the house,,,that can be in lieu of rent,,,,

Yes!

You don't kick someone who's down on their luck.
That only creates a vengeful rage within that person that will grow and you will not like how that story ends if you go down that road.

Help that person rather than kicking them or screwing them.
Try to help them stand on their own and then when they can,
then you may kick them out your door.

If you've been trying to help them stand on their own for 1-2 years and they still can't stand or if they're just complete a-holes than throw them into a dumpster and let them figure it out.

great post....well not the dumpster ...lol

but I think your post shows a lot of insight. I agree with Harmony's idea too that it is OK for teaching an adult child what it is like to have bills and responsibilities, especially if the parent is single and doesn't make a lot of money herself

but it shouldn't be a punitive amount - or required under duress or when a child is having a rough time. it should be waived or forgiven for a period of time then

my almost 18yr old daughter lost her job so came home to mum i am not charging her a cent untill she gets an income, she not even getting centerlink yet

Hey, plenty of people have become successful by living in the trash.
Like Oscar the Grouch.

haha

yes

but something tells me he is well paid to do so....

honestly the dumpster is just not my thing

One son lives with me. 19. He pays no rent, no utilities, no food to speak of except his own eating out. Part of the agreement is that he saves 80% of his net earnings. That way he can have a good head start in life when the time comes. In 3 years, with a bit of self control and restraint, he could have tens of thousands of dollars to start life with. As a parent, I think it is my obligation to help my kids in whatever way I can so that they can be happy healthy and productive.

The other... he turned the deal down, and his life is much more difficult than he would like to admit.

No it's not wrong... I charge my 22yo son $50 a week rent and he also chips in for the water, gas and electricity bills when they come in... It has taught him the value of money and he has also started to save his own money instead of wasting it like he did before he learn't the real value of money. He was always under the impression that life was easy and he could just cruise through life and now he has grown so much and now respects himself and other people. It will mature him and make him think more about life in general and that it's not always all about him and that there is actually a real world out there.

my oldest son also chose to go on his own at 19 and in surmounting several challenges to become a very successful developer he has also become an admirable man. he has faced more challenges in the path he chose, but it has given him maturity and personal strength beyond measure, I do not think he perceives his life as difficult as his independence is something he factors into quality of life

he also has become an excellent financial manager

Dumpsters can be fun.
You never know what you'll find in them.
You might even find friends in one.

well the ones around here usually have broken furniture and the kitchen garbage. they smell bad so I don;t stick around. I'm not optomistic about the dumpster route, but thanks :) ....silly kid

That's no problem.
Just take a can of Febreeze and a roll of duct tape with you.
The smell will be gone and the furniture fixed.

My mom did not charge me rent and I moved out at 22. I would not have been able to afford the car and insurance that got me to the job that got me the money to move out if my mom had been taking the money away from me.

I think every situation is different.

My home electricity phone and everything else is included in my job.
I have 6 children and my 18 year old contributes to the groceries each week, he wasnt asked for it, he just gives it to me.
However, he earns a good wage, is saving and has no expenses.
but he is very responsible and often pays for things for his brothers or sisters, just because he didnt like going without things when he was younger, so tries to make things easier on everyone around him.

no no this i s not fair.......kids duty of parents this i s wrong charge rent from kids, but if they r able to earn, then we can ask for sharing but upto one limit ......

I agree. THe family is a unit even though this culture only emphasizes parental responsility,, FAMILY has responsibility toward each other and even children need to learn they should be contributing something to the family and the household,, particularly when they are no longer mere 'children' but adults and young adults.

At least, it sure doesnt hurt for them to learn they have responsibility towards their family/parents as well.

whether it be financially, or through the physical effort (cooking, cleaning, laundry,,etc,,,)